


Kindergarten

by Jamie_Angel



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alive Noah Czerny, Bronan, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father Ronan Lynch, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Found Family, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Maura Sargent is still a psychic, Mention of abuse, Noah doesn't get ignored, Normal Life, Not Beta Read, Pansexual Noah Czerny, Ronan Lynch & Blue Sargent Friendship, Ronan Lynch Has Feelings, Ronan Lynch Loves Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch is Bad at Feelings, Skater Noah Czerny, Slow Burn, Soft Ronan Lynch, The Magicians AU Week, dreamless Ronan, no ghost Noah, no prophecy blue, noah is fully corporeal, none of this ley line bullshit, ronan swears like a bitch, teacher Adam Parrish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:26:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24720793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jamie_Angel/pseuds/Jamie_Angel
Summary: Ronan is the father of a beautiful baby girl. She’s his life, his soul, and she’s all grown up now. 5 years of him being a father, 5 years that he couldn’t of made it through without is closest friends: Noah, Blue and Gansey.But Opal’s 5th birthday also marks the start of kindergarten, a fact Ronan isn’t too happy about, even if Mr Parrish makes butterflies dance in his belly.
Relationships: Joseph Kavinsky/Ronan Lynch (exes), Noah loves his friends and his friends love Noah, Richard Gansey III/Blue Sargent, Ronan Lynch & Blue Sargent, Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Comments: 24
Kudos: 114





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I decided to name Ronan's daughter Opal, but she doesn't act or look like she does in the books, I just wanted the name to be related to the series, and I wasn't about to name her Chainsaw :)

Blue was curled into a ball, head resting on Gansey’s lap and her feet on Noah’s. Her breathing was even, and she was dozing slightly, Opal tucked to her chest, also dozing. Ronan watched them, Gansey’s fond expression, Noah’s book propped against Blue’s feet, Opal’s tiny mouth open slightly, Blue absent hand rubbing circles on Gansey’s thigh . He cherished the sight, though he would never tell any of them that. As much as, biologically, Opal was only his baby; she was as much his friends as his. She was a combined effort, of three fathers and a mother.  
They all had the right to be tired, he though as he watched Noah’s grasp slip from his book ever so slightly. Ronan shifted in his chair. Blue had spent the entire day teaching Opal about kindergarten; with various chip ins from the boys. Opal’s first day was tomorrow, so at least their impromptu nap session made sure they were all well rested.  
Blue shifted and Opal gurgled, opening her round, blue eyes. Her face contorted into the I’m about to cry look. Ronan stood up hurriedly, scooping her into his arms and holding her close to his chest. Opal let out a small whimper but subsided, snuggling into his neck and staying there. He let out a small sigh.  
“You stole my cuddles.” Said blue, one eye peaked open to look at them.   
“She was about to wake the whole building with her screeches, you should be thanking me.” He said to her bouncing ever so slightly on the balls of his feet.  
“Well in that case, thank you, Ronan.” She shifted to lay on her back. Gansey started to weave her hair into tiny braids. Noah carefully closed his book and spoke.  
“Did we eat at all today? I can’t remember.”  
Gansey shook his head, eyes flicking over to Opal, asleep against Ronan’s neck. “Should we call for take-out?”  
Ronan sighed before replying. He wasn’t adverse to the idea, but if Opal woke up and found them eating pizza without her, they were in for the biggest temper tantrum of this month.  
“Go on then,” he eventually relented “but do it quickly and quietly. I’ll put her to bed.”  
He watched Blue swivel to sit upright as Gansey stood up and put his phone to his ear, their usual order already memorised.  
“Don’t forget the cheesy garlic bread.” Blue’s soft voice reminded him.  
Ronan retreated to Opal’s room, which was labelled as such by big sparkly letters on yellow craft paper. There was yellow everywhere in her room, from the collection of cuddly animals ranging from pastel to neon, to the gingham wallpaper Blue had pasted on two of the four walls. Ronan flicked on the bed side lamp on and gently tucked Opal into her lavender bed covers. She grumbled a bit as he smoothed the bed covers over her. After plugging in the nightlight, the one that cast pictures of stars and flying ravens over her ceiling, he left with the quiet click of the door.  
Gansey had finished ordering the pizza as Ronan flopped into the sofa crevice, where Gansey had just been sitting, sticking his tongue out.   
“You have the maturity of a 3 year old.” With an exaggerated eye roll, Gansey sunk into the nearest arm chair and flicked on the TV.  
None of them really watched the sit-com that Gansey had settled on. Noah had resumed his book, curling up like a hedgehog; Gansey was doing the crossword in the evening paper which he insisted they had to get delivered. Ronan was scrolling aimlessly through his phone and Blue had resorted to trying all of those activities, and instead settling on tracing her fingers over the parts of his tattoo that peaked out from behind his shirt.   
She often did this. It didn’t make Ronan uncomfortable anymore. It used to, when they were teenagers, when she’d become captivated by the swirling ink. Now, knowing for definite that she was happy with Gansey and had been for years, he let her, welcoming the tickle of her finger over his skin.  
He snorted “The tattoo hasn’t changed in the last decade, Blue, why do you keep going over it?”  
“It always changes.” She said solemnly “every time I look at it all the patterns are different.”  
“I’m pretty sure I didn’t get a magical tattoo, Blue.”   
It was her turn to laugh “You never know. Maybe your tattoo artist was Harry Potter.”  
“Yeah, sure.”   
The bell to the building chimed. That was quick. After glancing at his phone screen , he realised it hadn’t been quick and that had been almost 45 minutes since he’d tucked Opal into bed.  
“Noah.” Blue, Ronan and Gansey said in unison.  
“Do I have to?” he asked with a dramatic sigh and an even more dramatic setting down of his book.  
“Yes, Ronan did it last time, I did it the time before that and Blue did it the time before the time that I did it.”  
Noah just gave an elongated sigh and trudged off to walk down to the three flights of stairs to get to the pizza. Knowing Noah, the pizza would have long gone cold by the time he reached the apartment again. Gansey got up to steal Noah’s place and Blue immediately peeled off Ronan and snuggled into Gansey’s side. He kissed her on the forehead. Gross.  
“You guys realise you can’t eat like that.”   
Blue shrugged and nuzzled further into Gansey’s shoulder. He petted her hair. Ronan made a noise of disgust in the back of his throat as Noah opened the door.  
“I was sat there!” he exclaims, slamming the door. Gansey gave him a sly grin as Noah deposited a pizza in all their laps.  
They all ate relatively quickly before heading to their respective bedrooms. Ronan passed out as soon as soon as his head hit the pillow.

xXx  
The shrill cry of his alarm interrupted his dream. He would be mad, except he couldn’t remember what it was about. He changed quickly, knowing that Opal would be anxious to get to her first day of school.  
Blue was sat on the kitchen counter while Noah cooked. Gansey was probably still asleep. Opal was chattering happily on the stool next to Blue, her dark brown hair bunched into two tiny buns. He swooped behind her and pulled her into him, making her shriek.   
“Did you sleep well, little Raven?” he asked, kissing her forehead  
“yeah, but Auntie Blue woke me up.” She said, with a glare to be proud of in Blue’s direction  
“She gets her glares from her father.” Blue laughed as Noah slid a pancake on a plate and offered it at Opal. Ronan put her on her stool and slid into the one next to her. They all watched as Opal drowned her pancakes in maple syrup. After the pancake was thoroughly soaked, Noah gently released the bottle from her grasp, only for Blue to snatch it and use it over her own pancakes.   
Gansey thumped into the seat beside Ronan. His hair was still messy from sleep and his wire-framed glasses were crooked on his nose. He lay his head down on the counter, only for Blue to smack it.  
“oh, wake up, Gansey. Its Opal’s first day of school.”   
He lifted his head to smile at her.  
“Excited, girl child?”  
Her face split into a wide smile as she launched into an explanation of how she’s gonna work so hard and have so many friends.  
Blue checked her watch and gave a warning look to Ronan.  
He gently interceded her babbling. “Who do you want to take you to school?”  
She pondered this for a moment before talking them through her decision. “Well, Uncle Gansey it too grumpy.” Blue snorted and mussed his hair. “And Auntie Blue makes me listen to weird music. Uncle Noah is too slow.” Noah mock gasped as Blue laid a hand to her chest.  
“Well that just leaves me.” Ronan stood and shouldered on his leather jacket. He held out her tiny, bright pink version and she ran over to put it on. God, this was gonna piss off PTA moms so much. The thought made him smile. Swinging Opal into his arms, he shot down the stairs and quickly buckled her into her car seat. He frowned. It looked like they might need to change her into a booster seat.  
It wasn’t a long drive to the nursery and the BMW made it easy.   
“Can I go play, daddy, please?” Opal pleaded as he unbuckled her from the car.  
His face split into a wide smile. “Of course, little raven. Be careful and don’t get hurt.”  
She ran off, easy sun glinting off the pink of her jacket. He settled on a bench to watch her run and climb. He was already getting nervous looks.  
“Mr Lynch?”  
He turned, coming face to face with a guy roughly his age, with sandy hair and freckles.  
“What?” he said gruffly  
“I’m Adam Parrish, I’m Opal’s new teacher. I just had a few questions about her home life, if that’s ok?”   
Ronan grunted and gestured to the seat opposite him on the bench.   
“Well, I like to be able to support my students any way I can and I think that knowing about their home situation helps best.” Adam explained”So, if you don’t mind the probing questions, is Opal’s mother still in the picture?”  
A quiet smile flickered on Ronan’s face. “Technically.”  
“could you perhaps elaborate on that?”   
“Huh, well, my ex-boyfriend and I wanted a child, and we asked a close friend to carry her for us using an egg donor. The boyfriend is no longer around, but Blue lives with us.”  
“Ah, I see.” Adam had produced a tiny spiral-bound notebook and jotted a couple of words. Ronan had to concentrate to see what he had written  
-Ex-boyfriend (trusted)  
-Blue (Carrier, trusted)  
“Are you the only one who would be dropping off and picking up Opal?”  
Ronan shook his head “No, Blue might, or her fiancé Gansey, or our close friend Noah. It depends on Opal’s mood.”  
More scribbling in the notebook, and a nod.  
“Right, thanks a lot.” He smiled warmly and Ronan could have sworn he felt his cheeks flush. A sharp ringing indicated that school had started.  
Adam stood and ushered all the kids into the school building, with large smiles and kind words and high fives. Ronan watched until Opal was safely inside before standing to leave. His eyes briefly met Adam’s.  
He turned away and climbed into the BMW.

xXx  
There was still 5 minutes until class was let out, Ronan was informed by one of the moms who wasn’t scared to be seen in the same vicinity as him. She was pretty, he guessed, with black coiled hair and dark skin. He rested against the hood of his car and scrolled on his phone before turning it off and stuffing it in his back pocket restlessly.  
“I’m June.” The woman was stood in front of him, offering a hand. He looked at it pointedly until she dropped it. She didn’t get the hint, looking at him with a kind face and gently shifting her weight to her other foot “Forgive me if this comes across rude, but I was standing close by and over heard your conversation with Mr Parrish.”  
He bit back an insult, but glared at her while she kept talking.  
“I just wanted to ask, was it easier? Raising your child with all those people.”  
“Well, I imagine it would have been easier than raising her on my own, but it wasn’t easy.” The woman nodded “was there a reason you asked?” he said, out of politeness more than anything.  
She shook her head, to his relief and his phone pinged. He fished it out of his pocket to read the text from Blue  
Ronan, make sure to get the groceries after picking up Opal. I would go, but Gansey is swamped with work and keeps getting calls :/ and Noah has gone for a run. Thanks <3  
He made a non-commital noise in the back of his throat, and typed out a quick reply.  
Fuck you.  
Also, fine.   
The school bell had rung, so he shoved his phone into his pocket and opened his arms as Opal jumped into them.  
“Hey, little raven. Did you have a good day?”  
She launched into a second by second description of the day.  
“Mr Parrish is very nice, he telled us all about the flowers that grow and all their names.”   
“He told you, their names.” He corrected gently.  
“Yeah, yeah, he told us.” She said with an eye roll that made him proud. She was incredibly sarcastic for a 5 year old.  
“Oh and he gave you a letter!” She fished a very crumpled letter out of her tiny backpack. He smoothed it out against the hood of the car. It was a simple form, asking for permission to use the internet, allergies and emergency numbers among other things.  
“Thanks sweetheart.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead and pick her up to buckle her in while she resumed her chatter.  
She paused to give him time to kick the ignition to life to resume her talking. She had made three friends, whose names he immediately forgot. They had learned about how to add numbers together and some kid fell in the sand pit.  
“can I play on your phone now daddy?” she asked as soon as she’d finished her story. He leaned back to give it to her, not taking his eyes off the road.  
She gasped “Auntie Blue said a naughty word.”   
Ronan bit back a smile at the fact she still reacted to swear words that she’d heard multiple times before. They all started under hushed breathe and when Opal was asleep but after she swore to never ever repeat them, they ended being either said normally or yelled across the kitchen.  
“Just ignore it. You can tell Auntie Blue off after we finish shopping.”


	2. Chapter 2

As they pulled up to the store, Opal requested a few minutes to finish her game, which Ronan allowed. As she, with her little tongue clamped between her teeth, concentrated hard on whatever game she was playing, he took the time to look through the letter, which was printed on alarmingly yellow paper.  
It was mainly shit about welcoming the kids to school and their new class schedules. There was a sheet about ways to contact new teachers for questions. Scrawled hastily next to Adam Parrish’s contact information was a small note in tiny compact handwriting.  
Hi Ronan  
Opal has told me a lot about her home life but I have to say I’m still curious.  
Would you be willing to contact me with more information?  
Adam Parrish  
He had signed his name with a little leaf doodle. Ronan found it strangely endearing.  
“Have you finished your game, Opal?” he asked, offering his hand into the backseat. She pressed his phone back into his hand. “Right, let’s go shopping.”  
Ronan let Opal pick out a shopping cart before swinging and buckling her into the small seat. The shop was nearly empty, just them and a few others under the fluorescent light. Gansey had text, asking for a specific kind of coffee, that Ronan already knew to get.   
Opal chattered happily as Ronan shopped, tossing things in without much thought.  
“Do you want to pick out some popcorn for movie night?” she contemplated this for a moment before pointing to the bag at the very top of the shelf. He had to stand on his tiptoes to reach it, before putting it on her lap. “keep that safe until we pay.”  
The shopping trip went smoothly enough, with only the minor inconvenience of them not having Noah’s favourite wine in stock.  
He loaded the shopping into the boot of the BMW before returning the cart then strapping Opal into the back seat. She had become tired of the shopping trip as soon as she realised Ronan wasn’t going to buy her any toys.  
As he drove, he got Noah on speakerphone.  
“You nearly home?” he asked by way of a greeting.  
Noah paused, panting slightly “Like 10 minutes away, why?”  
“Well hurry up, I’ve got an impatient toddler and a hell of a lot of shopping.”   
“Right, well, drive slowly.” He said breathlessly   
“Do you even know me? Hurry up.” Ronan ended the call. Even if he got over his aversion to phones, he wasn’t one to have a long conversation.  
When they pulled up to their apartment building, Noah was stood outside, red-faced and holding the mail. Ronan quickly let Opal out of her car seat.  
“Go upstairs with uncle Noah.” He told her, waiting to watch her as she toddled over to Noah who took her tiny in hand in one of his, after shuffling the stack of mail to the cook of his other elbow. He paused to wedge the door open before heading inside.

xXx  
Blue seemed cheery as she danced into the apartment, dragging a tired but happy enough Gansey by his shirt sleeve. Ronan and Noah were watching TV while Opal scribbled on the back of the yellow letter with a crayon. As soon as she saw Blue she rushed up to her and shoved the drawing into her hand.  
“Oh that’s beautiful!” Blue said, holding it up to inspect it. “I love the colour you used for Gansey’s shirt.”  
Opal grinned at her, as Blue flicked over the paper. A crinkle formed in between her brows. “Ronan, is this a school letter?”  
“It might be.”  
She rolled her eyes and went to tack Opal’s latest drawing on the fridge, next to the Polaroid’s of them at Coney Island and other various places around the world.   
“What film are we watching this week?” Noah asked  
“Frozen!” Opal answered immediately  
“We watched frozen last week.” Gansey, who had settled into an armchair, reminded her wearily.  
“And the week before that.” Blue muttered from the doorway, yoghurt in hand.  
They wouldn’t tell her that they’d watched Birds of Prey last week after she’d gone to bed. Opal pouted “Frozen 2 then.”   
“Noah, opinions?” Blue asked. Noah was always the deciding vote, for reasons unknown.   
He inhaled sharply “Whatever the little lady requests.” Opal let out a squeal and started running a lap around the room  
“Sucker.” Ronan said under his breath, making Noah aim to elbow him in the ribs which he dodged swiftly. Blue had handed the fruit from her yoghurt to Gansey and gone off to find the blu-ray of Frozen 2. Ronan shifted closer to Noah so Opal could wriggle onto the sofa beside him, who considerately left Blue about half an inch of space as she sprawled out as much as she could with her tiny 5-year old body.   
They all liked to point out that Opal was short for her age thanks to Blue. See, Blue kindly carried and lended an egg to create Opal when Kavinsky had convinced Ronan that they would be great parents. So technically, Blue and Ronan were Opal’s biological parents, thanks to a lab.   
Blue re-entered the room and stuck the DVD into the player. Opal giggled as Blue swung her into her arms, before collapsing onto the sofa. Opal stretched until she was halfway on Blue’s lap and half on Ronan’s.

xXx   
Opal fell asleep halfway through the movie, so Gansey carried her to bed, smiling down at her fluttering eyelashes, while the others got Frozen out of the DVD player as quickly as they could. They had watched it too many times to still be sane.  
Ronan sprawled out across the sofa, kicking Noah in the thigh until he moved up. Blue had settled on Gansey’s chair, upside down.   
It was peaceful. The only sound was the distant whir of the dishwasher and the TV with the volume down. Ronan closed his eyes.  
“Oi, move up.” It was Gansey  
“Oh piss off. I’m comfy.”  
“We need more seating.”  
“Great observation, Ganseyboy.” Noah said drily.  
“Anyway, I noticed something on that letter, Lynch.” Blue piped up  
“What, did you actually read it. I didn’t.”  
“Not that.” Ronan peaked one eye open to see Blue flutter her hand dismissively. “He wrote you a note.”  
“Oh?” asked Gansey, who was now perched on Blue’s arm chair.   
“Yeah, he was asking about Opal’s home life.” She said “what did you tell him.”  
Ronan closed his eye again and exhaled “as little as possible.”  
“Ronan.” Noah said disapprovingly   
“What?” he snapped in Noah’s general direction “How exactly do I explain “oh yeah, well im her father, but her other father is a dickwad, but we still live with her mother and her fiancé, also Noah is there”?”  
“Exactly like that.”  
“Fuck off Sargent.”  
She laughed  
“Fuck you too, Lynch.”

xXx  
“DADDY!” Opal yelled, jumping onto Ronan’s bed with all the weight of a small cannonball. He groaned as she collided with his stomach, feeling around in the darkness to snag her by the waist and held her still. “Daddy it’s time for school.”  
Ronan groaned again and switched on the light, casting a glance to the red numbers of his alarm clock. “It’s 5am, you little monster.”   
She giggled and curled into a ball on his chest.  
“No-one else is awake.” She whispered to him.”  
“That’s because it’s very early in the morning, and grown up need sleep too.” He said “Now, I’ll let you quietly play if you let me get dressed and wake up properly, ok?”  
She nodded solemnly and scampered out of his room on her tiptoes.  
Damn it, this was his day off! He never had to wake up early on Tuesdays, but here he was, at 5am, because he’s gone soft.   
He dressed slowly and in a half-awake stupor. When he entered the kitchen, he could see Opal quietly muttering to herself with a Rapunzel doll and an Elsa doll, cross legged on the carpet.  
Ronan quickly made himself a coffee –one of many- and sat on the armchair to watch Opal play. She had tried to dress herself, evidently, as she was wearing a skirt made up of a floaty gauze material, a graphic t-shirt and little cowboy boots.  
“Did you dress yourself, Little Raven?”   
She nodded, frowning “Its hard. Auntie Blue made it look easy.”   
“Do you want to go to school dressed like that?” he asked, wincing slightly when it made him sound harsh.  
“Hmm,” she said contemplatively, picking at her t-shirt “no. But I want to keep my skirt.”   
“Ok then, come on.” He said, setting down his coffee cup on the table beside him and leading her back into her room.

xXx  
A couple of hours later, everyone was awake, much to the chagrin of all but Opal, who was bouncing up and down on her seat, nutella on toast mostly ignored. She seemed to be getting more and more irritated by the grumpiness of the adults.   
“I want all of you to take me to school today.” She said with finality in her voice.  
“Sorry, pipsqueak, but I have to open the shop early today” Gansey said, pinching her cheek.  
Noah shook his head remorsefully “I can’t sorry darling. I’ve got work.”  
“But I wanteded all of you!”   
Blue and Ronan exchanged a look “You get two of us or you don’t go to school.” Blue said threateningly. It was an empty threat, but Opal didn’t know that.  
She pouted before slipping off her chair to find her jacket.  
“Well done.” Ronan said to Blue before downing the rest of his fourth coffee and standing up.  
Both Blue and Ronan shouldered on jackets, Blue pausing to lace her boots up for like a solid five minutes.  
“Hurry up, Sargent, there’s a child that needs to get to school.”  
When they finished, they all loaded into Ronan’s BMW, though Blue cast a longing look to the Camaro. Ronan knew Blue preferred the old thing, I mean, they all did, but it would take time they didn’t have to move the baby seat from car to car.  
Opal played with her Elsa doll while Blue and Ronan made idle chatter interrupted by Blue telling Ronan to constantly turn down his music. They sidled into the parking lot. Blue got out first, moving to unstrap Opal while Ronan checked a text he’d gotten during the ride.  
What was her name again, Lynch?  
His heart thundered to a stop. The number wasn’t saved but he knew who it belonged to. He blocked the number quickly. His hands gripped the steering wheel hard enough that his knuckles turn white, trying to regain his composure. He took a deep breath before stepping out of the car.  
Blue frowned at him, noticing something was off but he gave her an “I’ll tell you later” look as they walked toward the school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the open ending and for how long this took me to upload  
> xoxo luvs


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronan and Blue work with Adam to address the issue of Kavinsky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ages!  
> Ronan - 26  
> Gansey - 26  
> Noah - 27  
> Kavinsky - 28  
> Blue - 27  
> Opal - 5  
> Henry - 28  
> Just in case any of y'all were wondering. they aren't canon accurate (obviously) but oh well.

It was unusually chilly for late August, Ronan thought as he watched Blue run her hands over her arms. With a dramatic, laboured sigh, he shrugged off his jacket and handed it over.  
“God, Maggot, stop shivering. It’s not that cold.”  
“Sorry Mr Tough Man. I was raised in Virginia. I don’t handle the cold well.” She said, shouldering into the too-big leather jacket anyway. She frowned “What was that text about, Ronan?”  
He kept his eyes fixed on Opal as she ran and shrieked with the other children “It was from K.”  
“What? How does he even know your number? What did he say?” panic crept into her voice, but her eyes were also trained on Opal, whose ponytail was slowly becoming undone.  
“I don’t know,” He said in response to the first question, fishing his phone out of his pocket to answer the second, sliding it across the picnic bench to her “and that’s what he said.”  
Blue’s frown deepened “Ro, we need to tell the school about this. She needs to be safe.”  
For once he didn’t object to her nickname. “I’ll talk to her teacher about it.” He said, and she nodded in agreement.  
“Ronan!” came a chirpy voice “Nice to see you again!”   
Ronan half-turned from his position to give Adam a smile which he wasn’t entirely sure didn’t look like a grimace. Blue smiled brightly as Adam slid onto the bench beside Ronan.  
“You must be Adam Parrish.” She said, offering her hand.   
“That I am.” He shook her hand, awkwardly and trying not to elbow Ronan, who just scooted further down the bench.   
“You must be Opal’s...” he struggled for a minute to find the right word  
“I’m her mother, Blue. Blue Sargent.” She was grinning in a way Ronan recognised and did not like. He shot her a glare.  
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you, actually.” Ronan said. Adam turned to face him.  
“About anything in particular?” was it just him, or did Parrish look excited?   
“Well, I received a,” he paused, trying not to swear. He was in a school “worrying text message from my ex-boyfriend. Regarding Opal”  
Adam’s face fell, a little crease forming between his eyebrows. “What manner of message?”  
He was full business now, all the brightness and cheer he usually harboured gone.  
“For him, its quite mild-mannered. A veiled threat but-“  
Adam cut him off “What did the message say, exactly.” He stopped; relaxing his features a bit “I’m sorry. I get very concerned for the well-being of the kids.”  
“I totally understand that.” Blue interjected “and K was asking after her name.”  
“K?”   
“It’s short for Kavinsky.”  
He pulled out his notebook, which now seemed way too bright for the conversation they were having, flipping to a page and pulling out a pen.  
“Do you have any reason to believe that Kavinsky would harm Opal.” He asked, scribbling something out and making a new note in his thin, compact writing.  
Blue eyes flickered to Ronan’s, full of concern and questioning. She was asking his permission, assessing his situation.  
“Joseph Kavinsky is not averse to violence.” He said in a voice that told Adam that no further questioning would be allowed on this particular topic. Adam got the gist of what Ronan wasn’t telling him and scrawled a note  
~Joseph Kavinsky (ex-boyfriend of Ronan Lynch, untrusted, known abuser)  
“What does he look like? So we know to get him off the school property if he turns up.” Adam asks, pen poised on the page, creating an ink blot  
“Dark hair, dark eyes.”  
“Hollow eyes.” Blue added, and Ronan nodded  
“Wears gold, chains, probably smoking, drives a whit Mitsubishi.”  
Adam scrawled all these things on the page just as the bell went. “Don’t worry, I’ll do everything to protect Opal.”

xXx  
Ronan sped to Blue and Gansey’s small shop. Firstly, to drop of Blue for her shift, but also to tell Gansey about the text from K.   
Their bookstore was bigger than it looked. It probably didn’t help that the shelves reached almost to the ceiling. Gansey had a massive stack of books in his arms, depositing them on small tables which interceded reading chairs, according to genre. The bell above the door rung across the shop when they stepped in. Blue took half the books out of his arms and helped him with his task.  
“Ronan,” Gansey greeted him, placing a hot pink book on an already teetering stack. “I thought you were working today.”   
“It’s Tuesday, it’s my day off.”  
“Is it? I thought it was Wednesday.”  
Ronan slouched into a leather armchair, thinking about how to go about telling Gansey about K. The best method was probably to tell him straight off the bat. But, then again, he was holding a pile of books that looked like it was going to fall any minute now. So, maybe wait until the stack wasn’t quite so disaster inducing.  
Gansey put a few books down  
“Anyone in today Gans?” Ronan asked.  
He placed a few more down, on a smaller pile. “Only one, so far. Henry came in to get an update on dinner.”  
What? Since when were they going to dinner with Cheng  
“What?”  
“Honestly, Ronan?” Blue said, poking out from a pile of books that was taller than her “Henry invited us to dinner like over a month ago. Calla, Persephone and my mom are coming up for it as well.”  
He raised an eyebrow “I don’t remember it, therefore it didn’t happen.”  
She chucked a book at him, which he caught and turned over in his hands.   
“Only Mostly Devastated.” He read aloud   
“Pass it here.” Gansey said, taking the book from Ronan and shooting a disapproving glance at Blue. Gansey’s pile was sufficiently low now. He hoped, anyway.  
“K texted me.”   
“What did he say?” he asked in strained voice. He had gone tense, his hand curling into a fist.  
“He made a thinly veiled threat about Opal.” Ronan told him.  
Gansey closed his eyes, clenching and unclenching his fist. “Have you told her school?”  
Ronan nodded. What did Gansey think, that he wouldn’t do that? He decided to not voice his thoughts, though, knowing that it would probably turn into a fight. Blue touched Gansey’s arm and he opened his eyes, offering her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.  
“Don’t worry, Gans. She’ll be safe.” She told him, weaving their fingers together.  
But there was worry in her eyes, both the boys could see it. They might have a restraining order against Kavinsky, but he’d never been afraid to break the law before.  
“We need to tell Noah.” Gansey said. He had gathered himself up, all business-like and professional. He turned over a book to read the back.   
Ronan nodded “I’ll call him.”  
The bell rung, and Blue plastered on a smile as a tall blonde strolled in, looking tired. Ronan took that as his cue to leave, ignoring the appraising look from the blonde as he shouldered past her.

xXx  
Ronan tried to smooth his face into a completely neutral expression before getting out of his car. Opal didn’t need to worry, she didn’t even know of Kavinsky.  
He got out, leaning against a wall across the yard from the half-glass door that belonged to Opal’s class, The Butterflies. A woman in her mi-forties, with tacky dyed red hair, who was trying desperately to not her age stood next to him.  
“Was that your wife with you this morning?” she asked, her tone dripping with too-sweet honey. She had a really nasal voice than grinded on Ronan’s only worn patience.  
“No.” He said, hoping she’d go away. Her eyes brightened and she took a step forward.  
“You’re girlfriend?”  
“No.”  
“Fiancé?” another step forward.  
“No.” He snapped “She’s Opal’s mother and nothing else.”   
The woman grinned “My name’s Leslie. Perhaps we could go out sometime.”  
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth “Sorry, I’m not interested.”  
“Why?” she demanded, stamping her foot like an insolent child   
“Do I need a reason?” he asked. He was bored with this conversation, so he cleaned the underside of his nails on his leather bracelets.   
Her eyes filled with rage. “I want to know why you’re being so rude!”  
He kicked off the wall and looked down at her. She shrunk a bit as she realised how tall he was.   
“First of all, Leslie,” he said, spitting her name like it was venom “you’re probably, what, twice my age?”  
She shot him a dirty look but didn’t rebuff the statement, so he went on, ignoring the looks he was getting from the other parents.  
“Second, I don’t want to. Not much of an explanation for that one, I just don’t care enough about you to. Third, I swing for the other team.” He finished and strode to another wall, where he hopefully wouldn’t be annoyed.  
He stood there until the dismissing bell rung, watching the kids filter out until he spotted Opal. She brought up the rear, talking earnestly to Adam, who looked very interested in what she had to say. She finished her conversation before hurtling into his arms. Ronan only half-listened to her as he watched Leslie and her gaudy red hair stride angrily up to Adam.   
His features went from perfectly happy and content to stone cold in a matter of seconds. Ronan couldn’t hear what she said; he only knew that it was probably about him. Adam sent a glance and a warm smile Ronan’s way before responding to Leslie in a waspish tone.  
Ronan chose that moment to leave, Opal still tucked in his arms even though she could walk perfectly well.  
The drive back to their apartment was full off happy chattering, electronic with the volume turned way down, Parrish’s smile flashing through Ronan’s head every time he blinked, and a warm fluttering sensation in the pit of his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do y'all think that went? Sorry for the drama. I wanted this to be a sweet found-family au but surprise fuckers, Kavinsky's even more of a dickwad.  
> Oh, and, Blue and Gansey's shop isn't just a book shop, it also sells little random bits and bobs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took me like 7 years to update but I got really stuck on writer a FOTA fic called You'll Be Seeing Me In Your Dreams

Joseph Kavinsky would never admit it, but sometimes he missed Ronan Lynch. He missed having someone who would also be there, not disposable, not going away.  
  
Until he’d gone  
  
He’d gone. He’d filed a restraining order and whisked Sargent –pregnant with their fucking _baby_ \- and gone up north.  
  
Kavinsky took a drag of his cigarette, puffing smoke in the general direction of Lynch’s new apartment. The blinds were drawn but he could see vague outlines of people – Sargent with her hair slightly longer than last time he’d seen her; Dick III looking the same, the way he always did; Fucking Czerny who drives that sports car; Lynch, his head still shaved; and their daughter being passed from arm to arm.

He smashed his cigarette under the toe of his shoe and leant further against the hood of his car.  
  
___  
  
Ronan sat Opal down, very solemnly, on a kitchen stool. Blue was there, Gansey hovering in the doorway and Noah hovering even more so behind him.  
  
“Opal.” He said, hating how much he sounded like a parent. He was one, obviously, but he was also 26 and a teenager at heart “You won’t remember, but once there was a mean man around here named Kavinsky.”

He looked to Blue, hopeless and unsure. She gave a small nod and he continued.  
  
“And he, like I said, wasn’t very nice. He hit people. He did illegal things.”  
  
Opal nodded determinedly brave. He had to give it to the kid, she was ferocious.  
  
“You can’t, under any circumstances go anywhere need him, okay, Little Raven?” Ronan said, voice softer than it had ever been “He could hurt you. He might try and take you away from us.”  
  
Opal’s lip wobbled and he paused.  
  
“Okay.” She said, straightening herself in her chair, though her eyes looked glassy and she was chewing on the inside of her cheek.  
  
“I have a picture of him.” Blue said, coming forward and showing Opal her phone. Opal took it in her two tiny hands and studied it. She nodded and handed the phone back to Blue.  
  
“Can we get ice cream now?” she asked. Everyone breathed a barely audible sigh of relief as changed the subject without crying.  
  
“We haven’t had dinner yet.” Gansey chides, taking a couple steps into the doorway.  
  
Opal crosses her and stares up at him defiantly. He chuckles and leans down.  
  
“How about we get ice cream after we go get dinner with Uncle Henry?”  
  
Opal squealed, high and delighted in the way only little girls can, and clapped her hands together. Ronan smiled as he looked down on her. He did a lot more of that then he used to. Smiling, that is.  
  
“Grandma Maura, Calla and Persephone are coming to.” Noah said, still hovering. He’s very good at hovering.  
  
“Alright, Czerny.” Ronan said. Noah looked toward him expectantly “Get your car ready...Blue?”  
  
“Yeah, I’ll go with Noah. But I’m dressing Opal first because you can’t do it.” She said, sticking her tongue out at him and swooping Opal up into her eyes.  
  
Ronan narrowed his eyes at her, but refrained from his usual slew of curse words. Gansey left the room after Noah and Blue, presumably to put on a new pair of hideous shoes  
  
___  
  
They pulled up to the restaurant after an in depth argument on whether Ronan’s mind numbing music was suitable for Opal (Ronan thought it was healthy to have a wide appreciation for music, Gansey argued that he wasn’t sure it counted as music)  
  
Noah and Blue slid into the space next to them soundlessly.  
  
“I still don’t think it counts as music.” Gansey told him as he held the door open for Blue, who blushed. She never got used to him.  
  
“I don’t care.” Ronan retorted as he unbuckled Opal, who was playing on Gansey’s phone. When and where she gotten it, he didn’t know, but she surrendered it back to him easily enough.  
  
The restaurant was more like a diner, with posters of 50’s starlets on the walls and cracked red vinyl booths.  
  
“Table for...” asked a hostess, running her eyes appreciatively over all of them, snagging on Gansey’s arm around Blue’s shoulders and Opal’s fist snagged on Ronan’s shirt. “Five?”  
  
“Our tables already here, actually.” Gansey said cheerily. “Under the name Cheng, I believe.”  
  
She ran her eyes down a long list of names.   
  
“Possibly Sargent, Johnson or Poldma.” Blue supplied.  
  
“Ah, there we go.” She turned to beam widely at Noah “Right this way.”  
  
She turned with a swish of her hips and led them into a hidden part of the diner. Noah’s cheeks turned pink. Ronan knocked his elbow into Noah’s side and laughed.  
  
“Shut up.” He mumbled, elbowing Ronan back as they followed the hostess. She took them to a long table, at which Henry, Calla, Maura and Persephone were already sat.   
  
“Here we are.” She said, putting a few more menus on the table “A waiter will be here any minute.”  
  
Blue hugged her mother, Persephone and Calla and kissed Henry on the cheek.

Gansey wrung hands with everyone, ever polite (even if he had known them for years).

Ronan regarded Calla coolly, and she regarded him back. The stare off ended in her cracking half a smile and him slipping into the seat beside her.

Noah was all smiles and warm greetings, but he sat down quietly.

Opal ran around to the where Henry and Maura were sat and started telling them (in a lot of detail) about her new school and Mr Parrish and just about everything that had happened since they’d come up for Blue’s birthday.  
  
The threat of Kavinsky still loomed on the horizon but at that moment, it seemed to loom a little less.  
  
When the waiter arrived, they all ordered alcohol (apart from Opal who had told Ronan in a secretive whisper that she wanted apple juice)  
  
“So, Gansey. How’s the bookshop?” Asked Henry with a grin. Gansey, sat across from him smiled faintly.  
  
“Exhausting.”  
  
Maura sipped her wine “How’re you finding it Blue?”  
  
“You asked me this last time.” Blue said, taking a rather large sip of her own drink. Ronan wasn’t sure what it was, but it had fruit bits bobbing in it. She speared one and offered it to Gansey, who took it without looking, thanked her, and then continued his conversation with Persephone.  
  
“It could’ve changed.” Said Maura  
  
Blue rolled her eyes so hard that Ronan was impressed “It hasn’t. The bookshops fine. No, I don’t think we need a live in psychic. No Ronan hasn’t done the thing yet.”  
  
“What thing?” he asked  
  
“The thing.” Replied Maura, with a twinkle in her eye.  
  
“Thanks, that really clears it up.”  
  
“Where’s Dean, mom?” Blue asked  
  
“He had a job to do.” Maura sighed.  
  
Ronan tuned out of the conversation, not really caring about the whereabouts of Blue’s stepfather. Persephone reached a hand across the table and laid a hand on his. He raised an eyebrow at her, but didn’t pull away. He was long used to Persephone’s sometimes eerie actions.  
  
“I know you’ll do the right thing, Ronan.” She said, her small voice uncharacteristically loud.  
  
“What?”  
  
But she didn’t answer, and took a sip of her drink.  
  
___  
  
Blue hugged her mother goodbye, brightened by dinner. Opal was being passed from arm to arm, being kissed and hugged.  
  
“Ronan?”   
  
Ronan turned. Adam Parrish was stood, halfway through a step, smiling.  
  
“Mr Parrish!” Opal wriggled out of Calla’s arms to fling herself at Adam, hugging his legs.  
  
He took her hand and guided her toward her family. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Persephone, Calla and Maura exchanging looks.  
  
“Hi.”   
  
“What’re you doing here?” Adam flushes slightly “Sorry, I didn’t mean – it just isn’t exactly somewhere I expected you to hang out.”  
  
“Family gathering.” Ronan jerked his head toward where his roommates, the mother of his child, the grandmother of his child, the grandmother’s close friends and Henry stood.  
  
“That’s nice. Would you care to introduce me to everyone? Just so I can put a face to the names Opal’s telling me about.”  
  
“Uh, sure, whatever.” Ronan said, turning on his heel and pointing to each of them in turn “You already know Blue; then there’s Blue’s mom Maura; her friends Calla and Persephone; Gansey, Blue’s husband; Noah ; and Henry.”  
  
Adam greeted them all, then checked his watch “Sorry, I best be off. It was nice meeting you all! Ronan, Opal, I’ll see you on Monday.”

He waved goodbye and strode off.  
  
___  
  
Kavinsky watched them all, the mass of friends and family. He watched as someone he didn’t know approached the group, already friendly with the girl child and leaving Lynch a blushing, awkward mess.   
  
Kavinsky, didn’t know this man, but he was determined to. He was sure of that. He was also so sure that, no matter what, he would get Ronan Lynch back.


	5. Chapter 5

Kavinsky learned something new things.   
  
First, the man that had left Ronan, _his Ronan,_ a mess of pink stained cheeks and overly wide eyes was named Adam Parrish.  
  
Second, he knew where he lived. Third, he knew he was Opal Lynch’s kindergarten teacher.  
  
Even if it was the last thing he’d do, he would keep Adam Parrish away from Ronan.  
  
___  
  
“Hi Ronan!” Adam greeted him jovially just before school started. Ronan arched an eyebrow, the only indication that he’d heard.  
  
Adam continued on relentlessly. “There’s a bake sale next week to fund for new playground equipment and I was wondering if you or any of Opal’s other carers could provide something? Obviously, it isn’t a big deal if you can’t find time.”  
  
Warmth spread through Ronan’s chest at the mention of Opal’s ‘other carers’. He could just imagine how much that would make them feel.  
  
Outwardly, Ronan lifted his wrist to chew on his leather bands, and then dropped it after remembering that they were no longer there, disposed of by Kavinsky. It’d been five years, but old habits die hard and whatever the fucking saying was.  
  
Adam looked at him expectantly with those blue, blue, blue eyes.  
  
“I’ll ask Blue.” was all Ronan said in response.   
  
Adam smiled. It was a tentative smile, but Ronan hated – scratch that, he fucking _despised_ – the flip it made his heart do.  
  
He returned the smile, with less shyness and more sharp finality.  
  
Adam didn’t leave, he just stood cheerfully by Ronan’s side. This close, together, Ronan could study Adam’s face without being noticed. He had quite a delicate face, with high cheekbones smattered with winter faded freckles. Strangely, he was beautiful.  
  
 _What the fuck_ Ronan thought, _that’s Opal’s fucking teacher and I’m admiring his goddamn bone structure._  
  
He turned his head away so he could no longer see Adam, hand rubbing over his leather free wrist.  
  
After I second, he remembers the leather chord necklace Blue made him a few years ago and pulls it out of his shirt to gnaw at it, eyes intently fixed on Opal.  
  
The bell rings and Adam takes a step toward his classroom door, letting out a high whistle that has all the kids running from the playground to swarm to him.  
  
He turns back to Ronan, speaking just loud enough to be overheard. “Great conversation, Ronan. I’ll email you the details later.”  
  
Ronan narrows his eyes, trying to make sense of the comment. His mind is running wild but, since Adam is a professional, he’s probably only talking about the bake sale.   
  
Ronan makes a non-committal noise in the back of his throat, pats Opal’s head as she heads into the classroom, then turns to leave. He’s about to speed out of the parking lot when he catches sight of Adam again, rounding the kids into the classroom and greeting them each by name.   
  
How could one man be so kind, so beloved? Ronan drove away before he could question it anymore, turning up blaring electronica to drown out his own thoughts.  
  
___  
  
As soon as he returns to the apartment, he smashes his fist against the door and then promptly letes his head drop.   
  
“You good?”  
  
“Fuck off.” He growls “you’re not supposed to be here Sargent.”  
  
Blue crosses her arms. “Well, excuse me for wanting to know if you’re ok.”  
  
“I think you’ve already got your answer.”  
  
Gently, Blue touches his shoulder. Just the ghost of a touch, but it grounds him. Frustrated, he sighs and knocks his head against the door, not hard enough for it to hurt.  
  
“This probably isn’t helpful-”  
  
“Don’t fucking say it then.” He snaps.  
  
Blue glares at his turned back. “My mom told me what decision you have to make.”  
  
“You were right. That isn’t helpful.”   
  
“Do you want me to tell you or not.” She demands.  
  
With an exaggerated groan Ronan turns around and looks at Blue and her steely determination.  
  


“Spit it out.”  
  
“I don’t know, I might not tell you because of how you rude you are.”  
  
“oh fuck off, you telling me or not?”  
  
“Fine. Mom says that the bid decision you need to make relates to love. Apparently, your holding yourself back and not giving in to what would make you better.”  
  
“Did Maura say what I actually needed to do, by any chance?”  
  
Blue shrugs.  
  
“God, I fucking hate psychics.” He grumbles.   
  
Blue lifts her hand only to smack his arm with it. “Keep your derogatory statements about my family to yourself, dickhead.”  
  
“No can do, maggot. I always have an intense need to share my every thought with you.” It’s only a half-sarcastic statement.   
  
“Tell me who the lucky guy is then.”  
  
Ronan kicks off from the door and crosses his arm, looking down at Blue. There isn’t really a way to not look down at Blue. She’s tiny.  
  
“No way I’m telling you.”   
  
“Who else would you talk to? Would you tell Gansey?”  
  
“Fuck no.” Gansey would never understand, in that incredibly sheltered, heterosexual way of his.  
  
“I’m the best option you have.”  
  
“I’d tell Noah. At least he’s attracted to men.”  
  
“I’m attracted to men!” Sargent all but yells.  
  
“Yeah, but you’re straight.”  
  
She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. Then she turns on her heel and stalks off toward the kitchen. Ronan flops down on the sofa. He punches a pillow a few times before settling for just lying face down on it.   
  
God, he’s no better than a repressed teenager. He thinks vaguely about how he felt when K first kissed him, about K’s teeth grazing his bottom lip, too high to truly care how Ronan felt.  
  
 _Fuck._ No, he couldn’t think about Kavinsky, certainly not that specific memory of Kavinsky.   
  
Sometime later, of Ronan breathing dejectedly into a pillow, Blue comes back in. She settles herself on the other side of the sofa, shoving his feet off so she could sit. Ronan just put his feet on her lap. In response, she smacked him in the back of the neck with a cold spoon.  
  
He hissed and swatted the spoon away. Ronan heard theunmistake=able sound of the lid peeling off a yogurt pot.   
  
After a couple more seconds, Blue finally speaks. “You gonna tell me yet?”  
  
Voice muffled because of the pillow, Ronan tells her with only a slight bit of trepidation. “His name is Adam.”  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really be out here not posting this story for months and pretending not to see it huh
> 
> theres gonna be a christmas chapter (hopefully) between now and xmas so like...stay tuned?

“Opal’s teacher, Adam?” Blue asked.  
  
Ronan once again groaned into his pillow. “You aren’t making this easy, Sargent.”  
  
She flicked him in the shoulder. “I exist to torment you. Continue.”  
  
“It isn’t even a _thing._ He’s just there, looking all fucking pretty, and it’s not _fair,_ because he’s Opal’s teacher and that’d weird.” God, he sounds like a whiny fucking teenager. “It’s not even his _fault._ He’s done jackshit. I’m the weird one in this situation.”  
  
Blue was silent for a whole minute. Then, she said, “You aren’t explaining this very well.”  
  
“Fuck off.”  
  
“I’m serious. Ronan, you can’t help it if you’re attracted to the guy. It’s not like you’re going around trying to kiss him. You both just exist. There’s nothing to be done about it.”  
  
“You’re the _worst_ at giving advice.”   
  
___  
  
Noah went with him to pick up Opal. He chattered as they pulled into the parking lot, and chattered even more as they lounged on a wall. There was something very comforting about Noah’s presence. To Ronan, it felt like his brother was there.  
  
The bell rung and an avalanche of kids poured out of every available door. It was like fucking kid city over hear. God, he hated schools.  
  
Somehow, Adam had made his way over to Ronan and Noah. He had to wade through knee high little brats. He was closely followed by Opal, who was holding a bundle of cards.  
  
“Ronan.” Adam said warmly, waving once.   
  
Ronan’s eyes flicked to the raised palm, and then Adam’s face. Dude had real calloused hands. Like _really_ calloused hands, cracked and shit.   
  
“Parrish.”  
  
“Dad! Noah!” Opal said, dragging all their gazes down to her. She offered Ronan the stack of cards, which he took gladly.  
  
“What’s this, little raven?” He asked, sifting few them.  
  
“They’re Christmas cards! There’s one for Blue and Gansey, and one for you, and one for Noah. I made one for Uncle Declan and Uncle Matthew-”  
  
Ronan frowned as he got to that one. Declan could fuck off. But, he’d probably still send the card, just because Opal had made it.  
  
“- and I made one for Uncle Henry, and Grandma Maura and Grandma Persephone and Grandma Calla and Great Aunt Jimi and Cousin Orla-”  
  
Ronan cut her off before she listed every woman at 300 Fox Way.  
  
“She spent most of the day on them.” Adam supplied. He hadn’t looked away from Ronan’s face, which Noah noted, also looking meanfully at Ronan.   
  
Ronan turned to glare at Noah then looked Adam in the eye. “Thanks man.”  
  
“It’s just my job.”  
  
“You’re still fu-” he looked down at Opal. It wasn’t like she was sheltered, she’d heard him swear before (a lot), but Ronan didn’t think it would be a good idea to swear while _Adam_ was there, judging him for his parenting, “You’re still good at it.”  
  
Adam’s cheeks were pink. Ronan thought this was due to the fact that it was ten degrees below dick freezing temperature.   
  
Noah coughed. “Uh, Gansey wanted us home quick today.”  
  
Ronan dragged his eyes away from Adam’s. “Thanks, _Noah.”_  
  
He grinned knowingly. You couldn’t hide a thing from him. “No problem.”  
  
“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Adam said. “Oh, did you talk to Blue about that bakesale? Sorry to pester you.”  
  
Ronan waved a hand in dismissal. “She said something about talking to Persephone about pie.”  
  
Adam beamed. “Great. Bye, Ronan, Noah. Bye, Opal”  
  
___  
  
It was Gansey’s turn to read Opal to sleep. This was only worth noting because Gansey had an _excellent_ voice for storytelling, all old money and honeyed tones. This, again, was significant because Gansey reading Opal _Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse_ meant that the entire apartment was quiet and listening.  
  
Blue had started dozing against Noah’s shoulder, who had his eyes closed delicately. Ronan was half-slumped in an armchair, picking at an old scab and listening to Gansey’s warm professor voice float out of Opal’s bedroom door and flood the living room.  
  
He wasn’t really listening. It was the third time that Opal had demanded he read her the Percy Jackson series this year, so he didn’t exactly care about the storyline. Noah often fretted that the themes could be a little too adult, but Ronan had pointed out that she listened to them all curse like sailors all day.  
  
So, no he wasn’t truly listening. Gansey’s voice was just background noise. The thing on the forefront of his mind was Parrish’s hands. The guy really needed hand cream or something because that amount of cracking could _not_ be comfortable.   
  
He chewed over these thoughts until well after Gansey had finished and come to sit in the living room. Blue had fallen asleep, so Gansey had sat on the floor and leaned his head against her knees.  
  
Quietly, he asked, “What are you thinking about?”  
  
Ronan looked up, “Me?”  
  
“Yeah, you.”  
  
“Nothing much.”  
  
“Maybe he’s thinking about Mr Parrish.” Noah suggested innocently.   
  
Gansey furrowed his brows. “Why would he do that?”  
  
Noah flicked his forehead. “For someone so smart, you are _unbelievably_ dense.”  
  
“Noah.” Ronan growled warningly.   
  
“I was there earlier.” Noah said, ignoring him, “You could cut the tension with a knife.”  
  
Gansey looked to Ronan, eyes lingering on the twin spots of colour high on his cheekbones.   
  
To Noah, Ronan said, “I’m going to kill you.”  
  
“Whose killing who now?” Blue asked sleepily.  
  
“Did we wake you?” Gansey asked, voice all soft and shit. Ronan rolled his eyes.  
  
“I’m fine.” Blue stretched her hands over her head, not-so-accidentally elbowing Noah in the head. “I was awake anyway.  
  
“Are you sure? Do you need to go to bed?” Gansey turned his head to rest his chin on her knee. Blue smoothed the worry line between his eyebrows.   
  
“I’m fine, love. Trust me.”  
  
“Jesus, get a room.” Ronan complained good-naturedly.   
  
Blue stuck her tongue out. “You’re just jealous.”  
  
“Of you? Fuck off.”  
  
“ _No,_ you’re just jealous that you don’t get to talk to _Adam_ like this.”  
  
“I’ll smother you to death, Sargent.”  
  
“Ronan wants to kiss Adam.” She chanted.  
  
“What are you, a teenager?” he said, but his ears were burning.  
  
“Ronan wants to kiss Adam, Ronan wants to kiss Adam, Ronan wants to-”  
  
“Fucking hell, I get it! I have some stupid schoolboy crush on Opal’s teacher and I know it. Jesus Christ, is that what you wanted to hear?”  
  
Blue looked very smug.  
  
A small voice from behind the sofa said, “Daddy, you want to kiss Mr Parrish? That’s gross.”  
  
Ronan sent Blue a glare so acidic it was surprising she didn’t turn into a puddle of goo.  
  
“Opal, sweetie, you need to go back to sleep.” Blue said, turning her entire body to look over the back of the sofa, dislodging Gansey’s head from her lap.   
  
“But you were loud.” Opal said, as defiant as her father.  
  
“I’m sorry. We’ll be quiet now, just get back in bed, yeah? Do you want Gansey to read you to sleep again?”  
  
“No. Does daddy want to kiss Mr Parrish?”  
  
Blue sighed and turned back to Ronan, “This ones on you, Captain Cold.”  
  
He glared frostily at her (only proving her point further) and got up. He scooped Opal into his arms. “That, little raven, is none of your concern. Let’s get you back in bed. You don’t want to be too tired to decorate the Christmas tree tomorrow.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> christmas part one :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STREAM WEIRD! BY YUNGBLUD
> 
> also i lied. i said one christmas chapter but theres actually going to be two >:)

Decorating for Christmas in the Lynch-Sargent-Gansey-Czerny-fucking-whatever household was a goddamn nightmare. It was this: Gansey coming home late from one of his history lectures to find a tinsel-covered Blue Sargent waiting for him in the living room.  
  
It was this: Said tinsel-covered Blue Sargent chasing Gansey around with a piece of mistletoe until he gave up and let her attack him; it was Blue continuing to carry around a piece of tinsel and Gansey acting surprised when he intentionally stood under it with her; it was Ronan not paying attention and standing under the mistletoe; its Blue not allowing Ronan to leave until he has tenderly kissed her forehead, then kicked her in the shin.  
  
It was this: Noah carrying Opal on his shoulders so she could put the star on the top of the tree; it was Opal insisting on them all decorating the tree together; it was a tree full of delicate ornaments gifted from the Gansey family, cheap baubles bought by Ronan, handmade decorations made by Blue (with assistance from Opal) and reels of ribbon handed down from the Czerny family.  
  
It was a mismatch of lives all brought together in a sweet, popcorn and cinnamon and pine scented, festive bundle.   
  
Ronan sits, upside-down, on the sofa, letting Blue practice make-up on him. She had gotten over her aversion to the stuff after Orla explained, a few years ago, that it empowered some people. While Ronan, personally, wasn’t someone who was _empowered_ by make-up, he wasn’t able to say no to Sargent when she went all pouty and shit.   
  
Noah taps a rhythm on Ronan’s shoe as they watch meaningless TV and wait for Opal to fall asleep. They had told her many times that Santa didn’t come when she was awake, but that’s just how little kids are, apparently.   
  
Blue finished his make-up with final flourish of her brush. Ronan craned his neck to look Gansey in the eye, “how do I fuckin’ look?”  
  
“Beautiful.” Gansey replied, not even bothering to hide his smile.  
  
Ronan threw a glare at Gansey, “Pass me a mirror, Maggot. Then you can take this shit off.”  
  
She harrumphed but passed him a mirror. The make-up was ok but not his thing, so he let Blue take it off, smearing dark eyeliner under his eyes.   
  
“Wow, Ronan.” Noah said, peering over Blue’s head to look at him, “You should wear eyeliner more often. It makes you hot.”  
  
Ronan put a hand on his chest in mock affront. “I’m always hot, jackass.”  
  
Noah shrugged. “Might get a certain someone more interested in you.”  
  
Ronan made to hit at Noah, but since Blue was still taking eyeliner off his eyes, he couldn’t see him well enough to land said hit. “Fucker.”  
  
Noah laughed. It made him sound younger than he was. There was a lot about Noah that suggested he had not changed since boyhood.   
  
Gansey shushed them. “I think Opal fell asleep.”  
  
“How,” Blue mused, giving Ronan’s face one last wipe before giving him a thumbs-up, “with those two making such a racket, I’ll never know.”  
  
Ronan grinned. “You sound like your mom.”  
  
She swiped at him. “Jackass.”  
  
They all got up to retrieve the presents they had stored in many high-up places around the house. Blue also went to retrieve the step stool.  
  
___  
  
Adam Parrish knew perfectly well that he was spending this Christmas alone, so when his phone pinged on the 25th of December, it took him by surprise. Dismissing it as his provider trying to sell him new deals, he took a very quick shower and then started to cook breakfast.  
  
It was after he had eaten and done laundry, that he picked his phone up. The only notification he had was an email, from none other than _Ronan Lynch._  
  
He navigated his way to the message. It read:  
  
 **Don’t freak, but Gansey did some looking into you. Not in a creepy way, promise. This is a weird offer, but if you want someone to spend Christmas with, you’re welcome here (his words). Even if you don’t wanna stay, Blue’s sort-of mom makes great pie, and it’s a crime that you haven’t had any yet.  
**  
 **Ronan Lynch.  
**  
It’s an oddly touching thing to read, aside from the fact that Gansey researched him. Adam didn’t know how Gansey had done such a thing, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know at all. He also wasn’t sure if he _did_ want someone to spend Christmas with.  
  
It had always just been him. Even when he was still living with his parents, it had just been him, in his mind at least. Holidays at the Parrish household were never a familial thing. It was this: his mother looking away from his bruises; his father getting drunk and angry at the end of the day; young Adam daring to survive within a mile range of his father’s fury.   
  
But Ronan - he didn’t know that. This wasn’t pity, this was an invitation. Gansey’s invitation, from the sounds of it. He didn’t want to encroach on their happy family day. He ponders this for a moment, and while he did so, another email pinged into his inbox.  
  
 **Blue says that you look like someone who overthinks, so like listen carefully or whatever. We wouldn’t invite you if we didn’t want you here. I know its kinda weird or whatever because your Opal’s teacher, but she loves you enough that she’d be happier to see you then me. Seriously man, Persephone’s pie is great. Come over for that, if nothing else.  
  
** Adam stews over this for another minute, then stands abruptly and grabs his coat. This was probably going to be a very bad idea.   
  
Finally, he emails back, fingers trembling ever so slightly, which is definitely a product of winter and nothing else.  
  
 **What’s your address?  
  
** It doesn’t take long for Ronan to get back to him. He takes one long look at his shitty little car, and decides to walk instead. He doesn’t need the added humiliation of the Tricolour monstrosity on top of the humiliation of going to a random mans house for Christmas.  
  
Because that’s essentially what Ronan was. They weren’t close friends, Ronan was a father of one of his students, thats all. That fact doesn’t stop Adam from hoping that they could be close friends, though. And he’d certainly never admit that they could ever be something _more_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i listened to exclusively Ladylike/WHATTA BITCH, Juicebox Baby, and Picture Perfect by the Regrettes while writing this


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this extra quick because I accidentally uploaded a chapter of my FOTA band fic and -

Ronan didn’t actually expect Adam to come. It wasn’t that he had offered without meaning it. It was just that Ronan didn’t think that Adam would come at all, because, lets face it, the email had been creepy.   
  
Yet, here he was. Adam goddamn Parrish stood in the Sargent-Lynch-Gansey-Czerny kitchen, looking both comfortable and at home.   
  
Now, this wasn’t his fault. It was impossible to look in or out of place in the kitchen. It was too much like 300 Fox Way. No one could look at home against the exposed brick wall, painted with Jason Pollock-esque splatters in four different colours. All them of them had donned ratty clothes and picked out tins of paint and gone fucking wild. No one was ever comfortable enough to lean against the counters, for fear of knocking over one of the many trinkets, be it one of Gansey’s books; something that had belonged to Ronan’s father; one of Opal’s many toys; some of Blue’s sewing things; or Noah’s _stuff_. Dude loves stuff, anything he can get his smudgy little hands on.   
  
Adam perched at the very end of a bar stool, his hands wrapped around a cup of coffee. No one was speaking. The smell of pie wafted from the oven, where Persephone’s infamous cherry pie was re-heating. Gansey worried his bottom lip with his thumb. Blue’s eyes kept darting from Adam to Ronan and back again. Noah wasn’t even in the room, he was sat on the rug and patiently listening to Opal explain the storyline of her new Barbie doll.   
  
Ronan cleared his throat from where he leant against the door frame. “I don’t think you’ve met Gansey.”  
  
Adam smoothly looked past Ronan to Gansey. “I haven’t. It’s nice to meet you.”  
  
Gansey smiled politely. Adam smiled politely back. It looked like a very unintentional power play.  
  
Gansey said, “You’re Opal’s favourite teacher.”  
  
“I’m her only teacher.”  
  
“All the same.” Gansey replied, “I know that having good teachers early on in life can positively impact people’s life.”  
  
Adam smiled. It was a real, genuine smile. Ronan would burn a city to the ground for that smile. Adam said, “Thank you.”  
  
Awkward silence settled over them once more, as they all listened to Opal explain that Barbie _had_ to have wings or she would’ve never met her mermaid friend. Adam cocked his head to the side, eyes glued to something behind Ronan’s head.   
  
“You aren’t in any of these photos.”  
  
Ronan didn’t have to turn to know about the photos referred to. Gansey, Blue and Henry at various places, in various poses, with various other people. Noah went to Venezuela with them. Last year, they took Opal to England to meet Gansey’s old (old, _old_ ) friend, Roger Mallory. Persephone, Maura and Calla accompanied them to Mardi Gras. Orla couldn’t be convinced to _not_ tag along when they visited Seoul (she had recently learned basic Korean off of one of her boyfriends, and wanted to test it out.)  
  
You could scour every photo and you wouldn’t find Ronan in any of them.   
  
“I don’t like travelling.” He said, rather bluntly.  
  
Blue elbowed his side, “Understatement of the century. We could barely get you to leave Virginia.”  
  
Adam looked up with interest. “You’re from Virginia?”  
  
“Yeah,” Blue answered, “Henrietta.”  
  
Quietly, Adam said, “I’m from Henrietta. I didn’t see you in school.”  
  
“Ah,” Gansey said, “I went to Aglionby. Niall Lynch homeschooled Blue and Ronan.”  
  
“It’s how I met this asshole.” Blue explained, aiming her elbow at his ribs. He caught it and jabbed his elbow at her. She laughed, and it was a carefree sound.  
  
Adam was halfway between tense and relaxed. His back was ramrod straight but his smile was no longer forcibly polite.   
  
“You’re a raven boy.” He said to Gansey. Blue looked like she was trying not to laugh.  
  
Ronan did laugh. “Fuckin’ hilarious, isn’t it. He was the golden boy of Henrietta. My dad wanted to send me there, but I used Sargent as an excuse.”  
  
“Couldn’t Blue be tutored by your father while you were at school?” Adam asked, though he was slowly looking Ronan up and down as if imagining him in the uniform. Ronan fought the urge to shift under his gaze, and instead levelled it with his own hostile stare.  
  
Blue cleared her throat, “My moms would only let me go there with Ronan. They don’t exactly trust random men.”  
  
“At that point, _I_ was a random man, Maggot. You saying you don’t trust me?”  
  
“Well, you were a random _boy_. Calla respects you. And, yes I do trust you. With my life.”  
  
“Calla hates me.”   
  
“I never said she liked you. I said she _respects_ you. You’re both as unapproachable as each other.”  
  
Adam was watching this whole exchange with his pretty eyes and vague expression.   
  
“Hey – hey! Mr Parrish! D’ya wanna hear about my Barbie doll?” Opal yelled as she toddled into the room, tugging on Adam’s sleeve.  
  
Adam tore his eyes from Ronan’s face. “Of course. And – do you want to be special? Outside of school, you can call me Adam.”  
  
Opal’s eyes rounded and she nodded. “Ok. My Barbie has these wings and-”  
  
___  
  
They all ate pie.   
  
It was a very good pie and, strangely, it tasted like Persephone smelt. Cherries and sugar pastry and brandy and butter. She only smelled like butter because she spent a lot of time around Maura.   
  
Adam looked entirely blissed out. His eyes were closed and the remnants of the pie (aka an empty plate and a fork) sat on the table.   
  
“That,” He said, “was amazing.”  
  
“Told you.” Ronan said. He had long since finished his own pie, and was now harbouring a small sleeping child in his arms.  
  
“Wow. You’re really cute.” Adam said sleepily. Then, hearing what he said, he spluttered and turned red. “ _She’s_ so cute – I meant Opal!”  
  
“Dude.” Ronan said. He had one eyebrow raised and a sharp smile but there were twin splotches of colour on his cheekbones, and his heart was beating ten to the dozen. “Calm down. I get what you mean. It’s fine.”  
  
“I meant Opal.” Adam clarified once more. “Opal’s the cute one, because she’s sleeping.”  
  
Ronan’s smile turned soft as he looked down at the gently dozing girl. “Isn’t she just?” he looked up at Adam, eyes sharp and wicked with humour. “If _she’s_ the cute one, Parrish, then what am I?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronan is bad at feeling x2
> 
> stoner Noah confirmed
> 
> familial bonding maybe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wowee I just do not update this story do I. huh. I can't promise I'll get better, I've just been really into my FOTA band au

Ronan had decided he well and truly hated February. He blew a hot breath across his fingertips, which were red and numb, and said, “It’s cold as _shit_ out here.”  
  
“Stop being a baby.” Noah said, his voice slightly muffled. He was currently hunched over in the back seat of his Ferrari, searching for something  
  
“Why’d you even need me out here?” Ronan asked, looking around. “Nobody’s even around.”  
  
“I need you to stand there and look all scary, just in case.” Noah leaned back to cast Ronan a knowing glance. “ _And_ I need you to tell me something.”  
  
Ronan could ‘stand guard’ or whatever. He knew that Noah’s shitty old friend, Whelk, had tried to kill him in a similar position. Noah still had nightmares about the bat smashing into his shoulder, missing his face when he shifted to the side unexpectedly. Whelk had been away for a long time but still... Ronan got it. He still had dreams about Kavinsky. _Nightmares,_ more like.  
  
The _telling_ part, Ronan was not in for. He wasn’t one for talking about all that mushy shit.  
  
He doesn’t say anything, raising one eyebrow at Noah’s back.  
  
Noah sighs, straightening up, “C’mon, Ronan.”  
  
“No chance.”  
  
“ _Pleeeeeeease_?” Noah whines, eyes as round as a baby seal’s.  
  
Ronan looks impassively at Noah until he turns back to the car.   
  
“Whatever, man.” Noah calls out, rummaging around in the filth that has somehow collected in the Ferrari’s back seat. “It’s not my fault you’re still an emotionally repressed teenager.”  
  
“I am not.” Ronan snarled, only proving Noah’s point further. “I discussed my emotions with Blue literally a month ago.”  
  
“ _Ronan._ ” Ronan can hear the eye roll in Noah’s voice. “My guy, discussing your emotions once a month isn’t healthy.”  
  
“I actually only do it bi-annually. I have another five months at least until one of you forces me to do it again.”  
  
Noah groaned, “I’m gonna get Gansey to find you a therapist.”  
  
“You wouldn’t dare.”  
  
“I would! You know why?” Noah didn’t wait for him to answer, “Because I _care_ about you, you idiot. Stop repressing your feelings and just _talk_ to me, man.”  
  
Ronan groaned, dragging out the noise until he had no breath. “Why does everyone want me to talk about all this sappy shit all the time?”  
  
Noah’s hand poked over his shoulder, threatening Ronan with a plastic fork he seemed to have found in the deep recesses of his cars backseat. “You aren’t allowed to ask questions. That’s my thing.”  
  
Ronan held both his hands up in surrender, even though Noah couldn’t see him. “Fire away, but I never said I’d answer them.”  
  
There was the sound of more trash rustling while Noah contemplated what question he would ask. Finally, he said, “What are you going to do about it?”  
  
Ronan didn’t have to ask what he meant by that. He scratched his neck, where his tattoo reached up to his hairline. “I don’t know, man.”  
  
“Are you going to ask him out?”  
  
Ronan leaned against the side of Noah’s car and put his head in his hands. “No?”  
  
“Well, that sounds like more of a question than an answer.”  
  
“Fuck, Noah, he’s still Opal’s teacher. It’d be inappropriate for me to ask him out, right?”   
  
“It would.” Noah says, “But since when did you care about what’s inappropriate or not.”  
  
Ronan doesn’t answer. Noah searches for a few minutes more before apparently giving up and retreating from the car, slamming the door behind him.   
  
Noah took one look at Ronan’s face before softly asking, “You really like him, don’t you.”  
  
Ronan scowled. “I barely know the guy.”  
  
Noah raised one eyebrow in a very _Ronan_ gesture. “So it’s just, like, a physical attraction?”  
  
“Jesus fucking Christ.” Ronan pushed off the car and started stomping back up to apartment. “I’m not talking about this.”  
  
“You need a therapist!” Noah called cheerfully after him.  
  
When he got back upstairs, he was greeted with the sight of Blue sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking seriously at Opal, who wore her own sombre expression.  
  
He only caught the tail end of their conversation, but it ended with “-and that’s why men suck.”  
  
Ronan raised an eyebrow once he was in Blue’s eyesight, crossing his arms over his chest. “What are you teaching her.”  
  
Blue wrapped her arms around Opal and pulled the child onto her lap. “I’m telling her that the patriarchy is the worst and she should never let a man think that he’s better than her.”  
  
He narrowed his eyes. “I’ll allow it.”  
  
“Oh, you’ll _allow_ it, will you?” Blue said, pressing one hand to her chest in offence, a humorous spark in her eyes.  
  
“Oh fuck off, Sargent.”  
  
“Swear jar!” Opal’s tiny little voice declares, causing Blue to burst into giggles and hug Opal to her chest.   
  
Ronan sighed but began to dig through his pockets to find spare change. He came back with a handful of quarters. “Do I really have to?”  
  
Blue gave him a _look_ , “Don’t be a bad example, Lynch.”  
  
He sighed lengthily and made his way to the kitchen. On the counter next to the kitchen were two mason jars. One was significantly more full than the other. In Noah’s round handwriting, it was labelled “ _Ronan’s wear jar”._ The other was only a quarter full – and Gansey’s sloping writing declared it to be “ _everyone else’s swear jar_ ”.  
  
Ronan let the sound of the quarter clinking into the first jar be heard from the living room before grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl and walking back in. He took one look at Blue’s smug little face and decided that he was going to lob the apple at her.  
  
Blue’s face was saved by Gansey arriving. She stood up and transferred Opal to Ronan’s arms so she could greet her husband with a kiss. Opal buried her head into Ronan’s neck with a long “Ewwwwww!”  
  
For once, Ronan had to agree with her. Everything romantic was strictly _ew_ until he got his shit together and grew out of his stupid schoolboy crush.  
  
Gansey laughed and extracted himself from Blue’s arms as Opal complained about icky grown-ups. He very carefully placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then clapped a hand onto Ronan’s shoulder. “You’ll never guess who was in the shop today.”  
  
“I don’t care enough to guess.” Ronan replied, handing Opal over so Gansey could give her a hug, “So just tell me.”  
  
“Ad – Mr Parrish.”  
  
“Mr Parrish!” Opal exclaimed, wriggling in Gansey’s arms until he put her down. Running as fast as her little legs could carry her, she hurtled to her bedroom.   
  
Ronan looked at Gansey. Gansey looked back. Ronan raised an eyebrow. Gansey lifted his shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. They both waited for Opal to return.   
  
After a minute or so, she ran back out with her tiny backpack in one hand, and a neatly folded piece of light green paper in the other. She offered the paper to Ronan, looking up at him with wide blue eyes. He took it from her hands and unfolded it. On one side, a letter addressed to parents was printed, detailing the bake sale that would take place the next Friday. On the other side, there was a handwritten note in Adam’s sloping handwriting. It said this:  
  
 _Hi Ronan,  
  
You don’t exactly seem much like someone who attends bake sales. However, I’m still asking if you’ll help out, because we’re a few volunteers short. I promise that you’ll have first dibs on any treats you want.  
  
Adam._  
  
Ronan passed the letter to Gansey wordlessly. There was not a single one of them that knew how to cook _well_. Gansey cooked passably, Blue’s concoctions were always a nightmare, Noah was either amazing or disastrous, and Ronan always ordered take-out.   
  
See, the thing about Ronan Lynch is that no one expected him to be good at menial things such as cooking or housework, when in fact he was above average in both things. The only thing that restricted him was that both actions reminded painfully of his mother, when she was alive. Not that she was dead, but rather entirely comatose in a hospital bed in Virginia.   
  
Gansey said, “I suppose we could all help, if the school is really in need of volunteers.”  
  
“I think,” Ronan responded drily, “that volunteering at a bake sale implies we have to bring something baked. And we can’t bring college-era Noah.”  
  
“What’s on the letter?” Blue asked, grabbing for the paper. Her eyes scanned over the words and she raised her eyebrows. “We certainly _cannot_ bring college-era Noah. Do you think it’s too late to ask Persephone to make us some pie?”  
  
“Do kids even like pie?” Ronan looked down at Opal, “Hey kid, do you like pie?”  
  
Opal put a hand to her chin in a very _Gansey_ gesture and said, decidedly, “No.”  
  
“Then no pie.”   
  
A slight, curling dread was starting to form in the pit of Ronan’s stomach. Blue seemed to read this in her face when she turned to Opal and said, “Kiddo, why don’t you show me all the work you did in school today?”  
  
Opal’s eyes lit up and she dumped the contents of her backpack out onto the floor. Gansey got her hint and stepped into the kitchen with Ronan on his heels.   
  
“We could always buy something?” Gansey said, phrasing it like a question.  
  
Ronan snorted, “Blue would have our heads.”  
  
Gansey nodded, but still looked troubled, “Ronan, I don’t want to ask you-”  
  
“It’s chill, man.” Ronan interrupted. “I’m going to ask Matthew if he’s still got the old recipe books of my mom’s.”  
  
Gansey pursed his lips.   
  
Ronan felt fine. For now.


End file.
